Operation Mountaineer, the joint Iraqi and U.S. cordon & search operation in Ramadi, has completed. The southern neighborhood of Tammin was the main target of the operation, and the railroad bridge across the river was secured to prevent insurgents from smuggling weapons into the city from the west (the railroad bridge is bottom center of the satellite map).

During the operation, twelve suspected insurgents were detained. Two of the suspects were captured at a school, and tested positive for explosive residue. The terrorists used the school as an ammunition depot:

Coalition Forces discovered a large weapons cache and improvised explosive device factory at the Qibbaa Public school in the Malaab District. Numerous weapons, anti-tank mines, and a variety of explosives and detonation devices were seized after a thorough search of the school grounds. Some of the weapons were found buried underneath the building. There were no students at the location.

Coalition forces still have a tough job ahead in securing Ramadi. The introduction of Iraqi troops will likely improve the situation by assisting with the local policing and intelligence gathering, which would prevent the need for an operation on the scale of Fallujah or Tal Afar.